CHALFONT PARK SPORTS ASSOCIATION
MINUTES OF BOARD MEETING HELD ON 6TH OCTOBER 2004 AT 8.00 PM


Those Attending:

Alison Spicer (ACS) Peter Banner (PB) Caroline Chipperfield (CDC) Dave Peters (SP)
Warren Scott (WPS) Zoë Scott (ZAS) Simon Seabrook (SS) Matt Stevenson (MS)
Andrew Watts (ASJW) Chris Yoxall (CY)

1. Apologies

Chris Blamey (CJB) Neil Turner (NT)

2. Minutes of Meeting held on 1st September 2004

The minutes of the previous meeting were approved.

3. Finance (PB/DP)

DP was late to the meeting and his report had been e-mailed in advance of the meeting. This was that the current balance stands at £1,000 overdrawn. The next quarter’s invoice has been sent to Uniq. DP reported that a stock take had been done the previous week and thanked Simon Gooch for his help with that.

Regarding hockey subscriptions DP stated that very few had been received to date. Mike Snell is obviously not sending out the reminder form that he did last year due to the lack of response. DP requested that an e-mail or some such reminder is sent to the membership. WPS and ASJW said that not much progress had been made with the intended database development but WPS confirmed that he will be sending out an e-mail which will be sent on NT’s return. DP asked for clarification for the annual subscriptions which are:

Usual Rate Late Payment Rate
Adults: £115 £135
Youth (16-21): £50 £60
Junior: £50 £50
Vice President: £30 £30
Social: £30 £50

PB had circulated a draft budget for 2004/2005 prior to the meeting. ACS requested that this is put on the agenda for the next meeting so that Board members have time to look at the budget in detail ready for discussion next time. All members agreed to this.

PB reported that the Community Amateur Sports Club have come back with a further amendment they require made to the Memorandum & Articles before they will grant us the 5% reduction on our rates. For this to happen an EGM will be required. The Board felt that the 6 November 2004 would be a good date to do this as there is a social event that night so there should be plenty of members there to approve the requested change.

PB stated that we have been invited to renew our Entertainment Licence. This will cost roughly £105 and the Board agreed it should be done. PB will renew.

In response to the query Heidi Frick has raised regarding liability PB has phoned our Insurers who say that there is no rule regarding first aid availability at the pitch side but we must do everything to be prudent in providing first aid, PB reiterating the fact that we have no personal liability insurance but we do have members liability which covers members only playing in inter-club games. This of course applies only for paid up members of the Club, so if an accident occurs before a member has paid their annual subs they will not be covered. WPS stated he was unaware of that and will report back to the Hockey Committee, further that the Hockey Section has separate insurance which covers members’ liability from third parties. The members are aware via the fixture card of the need for them to have personal insurance. ACS stated what an excellent job Heidi Frick does in ensuring that all Hockey Captains have full first aid kits and the Board acknowledged and thanked her.

PB stated that that regarding the Taylormade annual review that CDC had sent round he would need to have prior notice of the purchase of any deep fat fryer by Taylormade as the Insurance Company must be notified and another fire extinguisher would need to be purchased.

ACS stated that Dave Banner has mentioned a problem that Paul Gethin has encountered with the alarm system. Paul had set the garage alarm, thinking that the building was empty but when Peter Broome was actually upstairs and this had set off the whole alarm system. The Board agreed that this shouldn’t happen as they were under the impression that the garage alarm worked on a separate circuit / system from the main Clubhouse. PB said he will find out exactly what happened in order to ascertain what order the alarm was set / unset and then obtain clarification from Delta as to what should have happened.

Action - WPS to send reminder e-mail to hockey members re annual subscriptions due
- ZAS and PB to organise EGM for 6 November 2004
- PB to renew Entertainment Licence
- WPS to inform Hockey Committee of CPSA insurance cover
- PB to investigate problem with alarm with Paul Gethin and Taylormade and obtain clarification from Delta

4. Hockey (WPS)

WPS reported that Bob Hance has taken on the role of Treasurer and is doing a good job. Training has started in the format of Club training on a Monday night at Beaconsfield and 1s + 2s training on a Tuesday night at Newlands Park. Steve Jack has come back to the Club as Trainer for both nights and player / coach for the Men’s 1s. WPS stated that the Season has started well, although there has been poor availability with the men so far.

Although he has no figures for the mixed tournament WPS stated that it went very well and had been very well organised this year by Sarah Wood and Geoff Brown (mixed Captains) and he thanked them. CDC stated that rough bar figures were £1,000 for the Saturday night and £400 for the Sunday daytime.

Regarding the incident that took place on the Saturday night, WPS stated that the Board should note that the Police had been called, due to the actions of a prospective new member, but they had taken no action. He has not followed it up as it is unlikely that the person was unlikely to be at the Club again. ACS expressed concern that this person had also refused to pay for entry into the event as he had stated that he was already a member of the Club. WPS agreed that this was unacceptable and all Club members were aware that if there was a social function they were expected to pay entry.

5. Cricket (MS)

CY was late to the meeting so MS provided the Cricket report. MS stated that the Saturday 2s were unfortunately relegated and the Saturday 1s had had a good season finishing mid-table in Division 2. MS said that the ground had been very good despite having fears about the square at the beginning of the Season. A good report had also been received from the League about the facilities overall.

MS stated that next Season the Cricket Section need to develop the link between the Juniors and the Adult games and ensure more Juniors of 14 – 16 years are getting into the adult teams. MS stated that the Cricket Section do not have a selection policy such as practiced in the Hockey Section and that is something that needs to be looked into.

ACS stated that it had been brought to her attention that the day after Cricket President’s Day a crate of Becks had been found to be missing from the cellar. ACS apologised that it had not been brought up at the last meeting, as she had been aware of it then, but she had forgotten to bring it up. It had been there when Peter Broome was running the bar for President’s Day and was not there the following day when Dave Peters opened the Club for the Saturday game, which gives a time frame of roughly 12 hours. No note was left regarding its removal. The Board agreed that this needed to be looked into further and MS agreed to make enquiries to see if anyone knew about the crate being taken.

Action - MS to make enquiries into the missing/stolen crate of Becks

6. Softball (NT)

No report was provided by NT in advance of the meeting but it was confirmed that they had been promoted and should therefore be playing games next Season on a Wednesday night. MS said he has spoken with NT regarding the purchase of coconut matting for next Season to protect the cricket square under preparation for use the following Saturday. CDC suggested that she contact Adam Marquee to see if he has any available. MS confirmed that a piece the size of 24 x 4 yards would be required.

Action - CDC to contact Adam Marquee re coconut matting

7. Events (CDC)

CDC reported that she had had the annual review with Taylormade, a full report having been circulated to the Board in advance of the meeting, but briefly CDC confirmed that the cost of teas would remain fixed until September 2005 and the cost of food for the Spring Ball catering would either be £12.50 or £11.50, the lower of the prices would mean that tea and coffee would not be included and could be purchased separately at the bar. Both CDC and Taylormade felt that the major issues revolved around communication and this needs to be worked on.

CDC is following up on 2 commercial opportunities, one being a colleague of Sara Daughtrey’s in Gerrards Cross and the other a potential sponsorship opportunity from a friend of Heidi James.

CDC requested some clarification regarding the plans for Fireworks Night as she wasn’t sure who was organising as Catherine Watson put together the programme for 2004/2005 social events. ACS stated that Catherine was promoting tickets at £10 per head at training that week for fireworks and curry as per last year. CDC stated that Simon Gooch is happy to order, collect and organise the actual fireworks on the night and she will liaise with Catherine and Sandra regarding the rest of the event, tickets, catering etc. The Board agreed that £10 per head was a reasonable amount to charge for entry.

CDC stated that she intends to put together a costs / events analysis of all events this year from September to September which she will send out to the Board as soon as available. The Board agreed that this would be good to see and the previous analysis she had done had been very useful. WPS stating he had already received an approach from a Club member requesting information regarding the hiring out / income generated. CDC will also check the planned events for next year and ensure all are on the calendar.

CDC stated finally that Sandra Taylor had been quite upset over the problems with the christening hire arrangements and had asked for direction as to who she should report to. ACS stated that this would be discussed under 10.2.

Action - CDC to liaise with Catherine Watson and Taylormade re Fireworks Night arrangements

8. Astro / Marketing (ASJW)

ASJW stated that he has contacted various agencies regarding the possibility of obtaining a grant for the astro build. He has been in touch with Foundation for Sports & Arts, Sports Match (a government funded organisation), the Lawn Tennis Association, the Football Foundation, the National Lottery and a Junior Football Organisation. He is also looking at other miscellaneous funding. CDC asked what kind of monetary contribution organisations would be looking for from us when the build was complete and we would need to look at that in conjunction with projected income from pitch hire.

SS stated that hopefully we can go back to the Bank as one of the loans will have been paid off by then. We also need to remember following up with Tesco's nearer their store opening in Gerrards Cross next spring / summer.

ASJW stated that he had not been happy with the coverage of the leaflets with the direct marketing leaflets sent out by the Royal Mail as they don’t appear to have got the 99% coverage they said they would (ZAS stated that they never received a leaflet). It does appear to have brought in a few Junior members but most new adult members have come in via the website. He doesn’t feel it would be worthwhile to spend the money on another leaflet and intends for general advertising in the future. WPS asked about the cost of advertising in local newspapers and ASJW said that this was done a couple of years ago, although he wasn’t sure of the cost. ASJW would need to re-enquire about costs with the papers, but there had been a problem with the placement in the papers before so that would have to be considered.

9. Operations (CJB)

CJB had provided an e-mail report prior to the meeting as follows:

• The worktops in the kitchen have been resealed. He had intended to refit the missing carpet but this had already been done but he didn’t know who by. PB stated that this had been done by Dave Banner.
• Alcan ground has been cut, CJB asked whether it is likely to need another cut during the termination period. PB stated he will check the ground and revert back to CJB.
• MS is to organise a Club maintenance day, CJB feels that this should be put in the newsletter to try to get some new faces to help out. The Board agreed this was a good idea, but that MS and WPS should e-mail their respective Sections for volunteers. MS will also need to “project manage” the jobs that need to be done and have a list in order of priority to ensure the most urgent jobs get done first.
• CJB has the glass box for the kitchen key and asked for clarification for what it is to go. The Board agreed it should go in the back office beside the key cabinet. Sandra Taylor has suggested combination key locks for the kitchen and cellar doors which is something to look into. CDC suggested she contact Peter Broome to find out the cost of these.

Regarding the Alcan Ground PB confirmed that Dan Webb is still playing football there, ACS stating that there was still £200 outstanding from Dan. It was agreed that he should be chased for this money again and it could go towards the cost of the further cut required during the termination period. ACS needs to confirm the exact amount with PB and he will then contact Dan Webb.

ACS stated that Sarah Watts had let her know that Mrs Birger would not be available to clean the Club for 8-12 weeks for health reasons. ASJW also said he is not sure whether she will return at all. CDC has discussed this with Taylormade and they can cover for the initial 12 weeks. After this time the situation will be reviewed. The Board need to acknowledge that with the amount of external hires the Club needs cleaning more often and the cost will inevitably go up. The Board agreed that Taylormade should cover the initial 12 weeks as this will be good for security purposes and then review once Mrs. Birger has confirmed whether she will be returning or not. SS stated a slight concern over us too putting too many eggs in one basket with Taylormade and agreed the short term solution should be reviewed. The Board also want to send flowers to Mrs. Birger, which ZAS will action.

Action - PB to check whether Alcan Ground needs cutting before termination period is over and revert to CJB
- CDC to liaise with Peter Broome of the cost of combination key locks
- ACS to let PB know exact amount of monies outstanding from Footballers
- PB to contact Dan Webb for outstanding money
- CDC to liaise with Taylormade re cleaning of Clubhouse in short term
- ZAS to send flowers to Mrs. Birger

10. Chairman’s Items (ACS)

10.1 External Hire

ACS gave an overview of the recent problem situation which has arisen with the Clubhouse being booked on 2 full Saturdays and then one Saturday late afternoon in October. It would appear that there was a general lack of awareness about the closeness in timing of the 2 full Saturday hirings compounded by the further booking which only came to light, as it was not in the Club calendar, following the e-mail ACS had sent out to the membership in advance of the first full Saturday hire taking place.

WPS stated that he understands the need for hiring the Clubhouse out to ensure we can pay off our debts as quickly as possible but we also need to fulfil our remit of a Sports Club to the membership. The Board agreed that there should be no problem with bookings in an evening, although the timing that these events are to commence must be looked at as it is not acceptable to have to ask the team that plays late to leave the Club too early or ask them to eat their teas in the corridor.

There appeared to be some confusion over the amount of monthly evening hiring’s had been agreed and it was confirmed that 2 per month had been agreed. This would enable the Club to have one “formal” social event, eg fireworks night, quiz night, per month and one more informal night for members. The other 2 Saturday nights could be hired out. This did not of course answer the question of how 3 Saturdays had managed to be booked in October.

MS and DP agreed that the Cricket Section could be more flexible due to the weather when games are played and the nature of the game generally. WPS said that he felt daytime bookings should never be taken due to the numbers affected etc for the Hockey Section.

ASJW stated that to some extent we have become a victim of our own success which is not a problem we have suffered from before as we have not had this volume of bookings and we are also getting people coming to us for follow up functions when they have hired before and we are being recommended as a venue to hire.

ZAS also read out the responses she had received from the e-mail ACS had sent out and all comments were taken on board. ZAS was asked to respond appropriately to the e-mails received.

It was agreed that now is the time for guidelines regarding bookings to be set up, which can be flexible as the Seasons go on for all Sections. Priority must be given to the membership when the guidelines are drawn up. It was agreed that CDC, MS, WPS, NT and Sandra Taylor should meet to sort out the guidelines to avoid a repeat of problems.

Action - ZAS to respond to e-mails received regarding external hiring
- CDC, MS, WPS, NT and Sandra Taylor to compile guidelines for external hire

10.2 Annual Subscriptions

ACS felt that some of the membership have misunderstood the concept of the annual subscription and link it to the number of games they have played / or anticipate playing in a Season. The Board agreed that the annual subscription is for membership of the CPSA, as it allows you to play for any Section so cannot therefore be related to the amount of games which a member plays. ACS stated that she wanted to rebrand as Annual Membership to CPSA, such that you would have for a gym or a golf club where no refund or reduction is given if a member chooses not to use the facility during the year.

WPS asked what should be expected of new members who join midway through their chosen Section’s season. The Board agreed that current members will have their usual date of April for Cricket and October for Hockey but any new members could come on board as of that date and their membership would be rolling for 12 months from that date. This means that the late payment fee would be abolished and those members that had not paid in October would not be eligible for selection until they had paid.

DP and PB agreed that administratively this is something that can be done as reminders can be sent to those members as and when their next 12 month starts. It was suggested that before the new database comes on-line this may be something that Mike Snell would be able to do. ZAS agreed to discuss new changes with Mike.

The Board agreed with the rebranding and rolling 12 month membership to be effective immediately.

Action - ZAS to discuss change of annual subscriptions with Mike Snell

10.3 David Banner

ACS stated that she wished the Board to consider her proposal to have Dave Banner join the Board with immediate effect as Grounds Director. This would mean that CJB would be Facilities Director and his remit would purely be the Clubhouse and Dave’s remit would be the Grounds only.

By bringing Dave onto the Board there would be the advantage to CPSA of harnessing his excellent work on the Grounds with a full awareness of the Club’s financial situation and budgetary constraints faced by CPSA. Dave would then be able to give monthly updates to the Board regarding the running of the grounds and obtain pre-approval from the Board for any expenditure plans for their improvement.

There was discussion involving all Board members regarding the pros and cons of asking Dave to join the Board and it was agreed that he should be asked to join.

Action - ACS to revert to Dave Banner with Board’s decision

11. Outstanding Actions Update

There was no time to go through the outstanding actions, ZAS asked that they be e-mailed to her for the update to be done with these minutes. All outstanding action / non-responses remain on action sheet and completed actions are as follows:

CJB - Pass key to Shabs; he has seen Shabs on a number of occasions and he has never asked for keys so presume they must have been obtained elsewhere – remove from action list
ACS - Draw up grounds contracts; this had reached the stage that the contract for Shabs is with CJB to check, print and get signed. CJB has information for Paul Gethin contract which he was due to ACS. However in light of end of Cricket Season ACS has removed this action. Fresh contracts will need to be drawn up for commencement of next Cricket Season
DP - Speak to Davey Crossman and Peter Colwill re the 200 Club; DP did not agree to speak to Davey Crossman re starting up new scheme. He has however contacted Peter Colwill re winding up current one and that is in hand
DP - Organise monthly loan scheme draws with Peter Colwill; done and catch up draws now taking place
ACS - Liaise with SS re commercial contact person; SS has passed ACS a name which she will follow up on
ACS - Contact the one person re outstanding subs from 2002/03 season; ACS has been informed that person has now paid for the outstanding Season’s subs and is playing this Season
SS - Contact Play Sport re advertising board; done they do not wish to have an advertising board
NT - Send over softball money collected to date and reconcile at end of season; all money collected passed to DP, 3 – 4 matches to go and will be handed over at end of season
CDC - Liaise with Sandra Taylor re intentions for prices for next season; done at annual review as reported under Events Section
PB - Speak to Dan Webb re football decision; done
PB - Liaise with Dan Webb to see if he would like introduction to Wilson Bowden; done he would like introduction
PB - Send letter terminating licence of hire of Alcan ground to Wilson Bowden; done Dan Webb introduced in letter as agreed
PB - Liaise with Fire Brigade regarding key box placement; done Fire Brigade state that in the event of fire the door will just be broken down, but a good idea for a non-emergency call out
ZAS - Pass copy of Hockey Constitution to PB; done


12. Any Other Business

12.1 Accounts Book

WPS stated that he has purchased an accounts book to go on top of the safe for people to sign money put into the safe and for whoever empties the safe to sign the money out too.

12.2 Membership Database

ZAS stated that WPS had copied her into an e-mail from another member, who does not sit on any Committee, who had requested a copy of the membership database. WPS had refused the request due to the Data Protection Act and ZAS asked for confirmation that this was the correct thing to do. The Board agreed it was.

12.3 Fixture Book Sponsors

ZAS had received an e-mail from Heidi Frick asking that members be reminded to support the companies who sponsor the fixture book and mention that they come from the Club when they buy things / use the services of the Company’s so that they know their sponsorship is worthwhile. ZAS assumed that this was something that would apply equally to the sponsors for the cricket fixture book and asked MS and WPS to take on board Heidi’s comments.
12.4 First Aid Training

ZAS stated that Heidi Frick has also e-mailed stating she is setting up some first aid training with Caroline Coates’ help. Heidi would like any members who want to participate and also wondered whether anyone from Taylormade would like to attend also.

Action - MS, WPS, NT and CDC to let relevant parties know about first aid training and ask anyone who wants to participate to contact Heidi Frick

12.5 Sports Insight Magazine

ZAS stated that she has signed up to receive a free copy of the Sports Insight magazine.

12.6 TV Licence

ZAS stated the Cricket Section have received a letter from TV Licensing stating that they require a licence. She has telephoned TV Licensing and explained that the CPSA licence covers all Sections at the Club and they were happy with this. No action will be taken. ZAS has also noted that this year’s licence appears to be missing from the Board tray behind the bar, but hopefully this will not cause any problems as she has the receipt from its purchase earlier in the year.

12.7 New Licensing Regulations

ZAS stated we have received information from the Council regarding the new Licensing Regulations and the forthcoming consultation period. This has been passed to PB who will produce summary document for next meeting.

Action - PB to produce summary document of new Licensing Regulations proposals

13. Date and Time of Next Meeting

The next meeting will be held on the 3 November 2004 at 8.00 pm.